General – Barreiras is a city located in the west of the state of Bahia, at 853 km from the capital, Salvador. According to IBGE, the city counts 139 thousand inhabitants in 2011. The city is strategically located on the axis of highways between North, Northeast, Center-West of Brazil. Its origin is related to extensive livestock raising and agriculture, and trade, via the Rio Grande River. Extensive livestock raising continued to be of major importance, until the construction of a new highway to Brasília, during the Fifties. During the Eighties, farmers from the South arrived, with their experience and knowledge to grow soya, which became a new source of income. Barreiras now has become a regional stronghold in the western region of Bahia. The city has a small historic center, and offers a number of natural beauties such as the waterfalls Cachoeira do Acaba Vida and Cachoeira do Redondo, and the rivers Rio de Ondas and Rio Grande.